Martin Luther

• Luther had six children with his wife who was a former nun.Lutherdenkmal in Eisleben image by Udo Kruse from Fotolia.com
  
  The origins of the Lutheran church are traced back to Martin Luther, the German monk who wrote his complaints against the Catholic Church in his 95 Thesis. He was against the selling of indulgences and the belief that only the educated priesthood could read and interpret the Bible for other believers. By 1530, Lutheranism was founded even though it was not Luther's original intent to start a new Christian religion.
  
  

Wesley Brothers

• John and his brother Charles were both missionaries under the Church of England. In 1736 both men went to Georgia when it was first founded as a colony. The mission was not successful. Yet in May 1738, the brothers felt a call to lead a renewal project through the Church of England. They emphasized a life of prayer and fasting, and the Methodist Church gained a foothold in the American colonies.
  
  

Different Practices

• Both denominations follow traditional holidays such as Easter and Christmas.bible image by Horticulture from Fotolia.com
  
  The Methodist church is supportive of women becoming pastors and ministers within the church. The Lutheran denomination has split views. One group, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, accepts the ordination of women while the Missouri Synod does not.
  
  Methodists believe that the Old and New Testaments of the Bible are the only acceptable sacred texts. Lutherans believe this also but are not opposed to reading the Catholic Apocrypha, as it can potentially "increase one's faith."
  
  

Differences in World View

• Lutherans are fine with the drinking of alcohol and serve red wine during communion. Methodists, on the other hand, are opposed to the consumption of alcohol. Lutherans view suicide as one of the most serious crimes a person can do against himself and God. Methodists also oppose suicide but have a more forgiving nature towards it if it can be proven that the person was not in his "right mind" when he committed the act.
  
  

Similarities

• Both churches adhere to the same basic Christian theology: God as creator of heaven and earth who sent his son Jesus to save mankind from sin. Lutherans and Methodists believe in the Trinity and sanctity of the Bible. They share the same views on many social and political issues, such as abortion, marriage, and adultery.
  
  Both have had smaller groups break off from the original church body. In the 1970s a group of Lutherans applied a historical criticism view of the Bible, which went against the idea that the Bible was inerrant, or unchanging, throughout time. The North American Lutheran Church broke off into two groups: the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Missouri Synod. The Wesleyan Church is a branch of the Methodists. It became an independent entity in the 1840s and stressed evangelism and outreach toward African slaves.